A friend and I are moving to Urbana, IL later this year. I have never actually rented an apartment before. She has, so we won’t be completely lost, but I don’t really know what I’m getting into. I see lots of threads on these boards where people have horror stories about horrible apartments, contracts, landlords, (tenants too–I don’t want to be a bad one!), neighbors, etc.
I have no idea what to look for or what to avoid. I’ve looked at a few sites online that come up from the obvious google searches (“renting”, “renting first time”, etc.) I’m interested in what dopers feel everyone should know about renting. Do any of you have any advice? Is there anything that you wish you had known?
I’ve been a renter since I moved out of the co-ops at college.
My advice to a first time renter?
Read through your entire lease before you sign it. Ask any questions you have of the landlord or property management company at this time. Make sure you don’t object to any of the clauses in the lease before you sign it, because after you sign that’s it. Find out about who pays utilities (gas, electric, water, garbage), whether you’re allowed to have pets, what to do in case one of you moves and the other wants to stay - does the lease allow for subletting? Even if the lease looks like boilerplate and is boring as all get-out, it’s important to know what is expected of you (as the renter) and the landlord or property management company. Learn what’s expected if you want to move - is there a certain amount of notice you have to give before moving? Is your lease term acceptable (3 months? 6 months? 1 year? does it go month-to-month after that or do you have to resign for a whole 3/6/year after the lease is up? etc.)
Do your homework; shop around for places. Talk to other renters in the building (if it’s an apartment building) and find out about whether it’s a good place to live.
Do a walk-through of the place and write down EVERYTHING that could be considered damage or problematic before you sign the lease/renter’s agreement. Write down (maybe even take dated pictures) any damage to hardwood floors, stains on carpet, cracks, stains, or missing grout in tiles, cracks, stains or holes in walls and ceilings, any windows that are cracked or won’t open, dripping faucets, electrical outlets that don’t work, light fixtures that don’t work, etc. ANYTHING you can think of that isn’t perfect, write it down, so you can a. get maintenance to fix it for you, and b. you won’t lose some of your security deposit on damage that was done before you moved in. Check all appliances to make sure they work as well.
Figure out where are the closest grocery stores, corner stores, laundry, bus lines, etc. Walk around the neighborhood and familiarize yourself with your new surroundings.
Will add to this later, but those are the initial things, I think.
I second the careful reading of the lease before you sign. Before you even read the lease, you need to think of all sorts of everyday things that you want to be clear about whose job it is to take care of.
Whose job is it, for example, to shovel the snow off any walkways and driveways in the winter? If the lease were to say it’s your job, are you satisfied that you’re getting your money’s worth from your rent payment? That sort of thing.
As far as horror stories go, find out who is in charge of the place. Some places are privately owned residences overseen by a landlord, some are managed by a real estate investment company.
If it’s a company, there will be an on-site manager/superintendent, who is sometimes just a tenant who gets a break on the rent for being the “first responder” to tenant issues. Such people sometimes realize that their tenure is dependent on keeping the management company happy, and that not having to spend money on major (or sometimes even minor) repairs keeps the management company happy.
With privately owned residences, you need to realize that sometimes people become a landlord because it’s a way to make a living without having a standard 9-5 wage slave job. If a lnadlord went into it thinking “Beats workin’!”, then their response time to problems may not be exactly what you’re looking for.
See if you can get into a casual conversation with them, and find out how much pride they take in their properties. I once had a great landlord in Boston who knew the history of not only our building but the one next door that wasn’t even his. Which brings up another consideration: I thought that place didn’t get nearly enough sunlight. Then I had occasion to swing by my landlord’s house. His had even less. It’s just the way he liked things, and it’s his property. Make sure you see eye to eye on what constitutes a welcoming atmosphere.
Including any funny smells. When some friends and I moved out of our first off-campus rental, the landlord dinged us for “pet urine smell.” Honest, we hadn’t noticed any smell after we moved out, but the people who lived there before us had puppies running loose in the house. Perhaps some residual odor lingered after we moved out, but we hadn’t noted “puppy smell” on our seven-page list of problems. :rolleyes:
Take lots of pictures before you move anything in. I did that and took a video of me opening all the doors, drawers and cabinets, running the water, etc. I photographed the carpet and the walls so that no one could say I was the one who stained that one area by the window.
Save all of the correspondence and repair forms from the apartment manager. You want to have a record of how many times they’ve come to fix the water heater or dishwasher in case they try and blame something on you later on.
When weighing rent prices, keep in mind that some places include amenities that others do not. One apartment with a rent of $1200 might actually be a better value than an $1150 if the more expensive one includes gas, water, etc. These things should always be factored into your decisions when looking at places because you don’t want to accidentally sign up for something that is further out of your price range than you expected.
Visit the neighborhood during different times of the day and week. You like to sleep late Sunday morning and there’s a nearby church? Or you have to work Saturday and the neighbors hold loud outside parties on Friday night?
You should also check with the Police Dept. about response time and neighborhood crime rates.
If you’re not a college student (or you are but prefer quiet), you might want to check out the place on a few weekends to find out how loud the neighborhood is. Some places in Urbana are rather loud and rowdy, others aren’t.
If you have to pay your own utilities, many utility companies allow you to call them up and ask what the average electricity and gas bill is for a property. It is much better to get a handle on the actual bills, rather than just asking the landlord what they typically run.
In addition to what the others have said above, don’t forget about tenant insurance. Too many people who rent don’t get insurance to cover their belongings in case of a loss like a fire. Or in case they accidentally start a fire.
Find out what government department handles tenant/rental law, and find out what is legally acceptable in your jurisdiction. Some places are more thorough than others, but you should be able to find out things like when and under what conditions your landlord/super can access your building (eg, 24hrs notice or emergency), when or if you can withold rent (never, in Ontario), if there are legal stipulations regarding pets (again, in Ontario, “no pets” clauses in leases are legally void), etc. You might think you can get away with something, but get in trouble if you were wrong.
Find out what resources you have in terms of filing complaints and resolving any issues that may come up.
I second the suggestions of getting rental insurance (required by some leases) and of taking pictures of damage or the condition of the rental when you get in. Also, take pictures of your stuff, in case you get robbed or in a fire or something so you can prove what was yours and make life with insurance companies easier.
With your roommate, establish rules immediately. Many people move in as best friends and leave as worst enemies. Who does the dishes, who takes out the garbage, how are bills, phone messages, etc handled? Rules about SO’s staying over might be good too - I had one roommate who had his girlfriend over 7 days a week, with her using our phone, internet and (sometimes) food, but not paying a dime because “she had her own place”. It was a bother.
check out apartmentratings.com also. they list apartments all over the US, and allow residents and former residents to review the place. I used this site to find a decent inexpensive place a year ago. I got the inside scoop on noisy neighbors, poor management, low or no upkeep, etc.
I have some responses, but I put in a long day at work and I’m sleepy so those will wait. Thanks all for the replies! I’ll mull some more questions as I snooze.
This is a biggie! We get calls all the time from people who have stored stuff in their basement and want us to reimburse them when our fair city’s 100-year old combined sanitary and storm sewers back up on them. It’s in the lease - we’re not responsible for it and they sign an addendum specifically relating to renter’s insurance.
Turn on the water in the shower and faucets, and flush the toilets. I do this everywhere now after living for a year in a place with only a tiny stream of hot water in the shower. :mad:
To elaborate on that, don’t feel weird looking over everything carefully. The first time I turned on the shower while looking for a new place I felt kind of funny, but it’s worth it to check on everything that might be a concern for you.
If there isn’t central air and you think you would want an air conditioner, ask about installing a window one (the lease may mention that). Ask about fuses vs. circuit breakers and whether electric overloads (for the average tenant’s use, nothing extraordinary) are an issue.
You’re in luck! The Tenant Union of the University of Illinois has a wealth of information for you, even if you’re not going to be attending the University. Use this website to research prospective landlords and determine their complaint history. Use the apartment hunter’s checklist for every building to look at. And before you sign a lease, take it to the Tenant Union to have their staff look over it.
It’s too bad every town doesn’t have a resource like this. You’re very lucky to be moving to one that has.
Make absolutely sure you sign a lease at the earliest opportunity, and keep a copy. This is easy to forget. If your landlord doesn’t give you one, you should still be able to get one, talk to a local lawyer about it. (I don’t know the rules where you are, but here it’s enough to write a letter saying “Dear Landlord, We are moving into such-and-such a place on such and such a date, we will pay this much rent, [any other details you’ve agreed to], etc. If I don’t hear from you by a month from today I will assume that this is acceptable for you.” That is binding in Toronto.) This can come in very, very handy. I speak from experience on this one.
Roommates: If you are putting bills in your name, unless you trust this person absolutely (and there’s nothing like living together to test the absolute trust you can feel for a friend), get a deposit from your roommate. The last bill will come after you’ve moved, and in the chaos of moving the last thing you’re thinking about is collecting that $100 from your friend. And even if you are thinking about it, it may not be easy.
Again, experience talking.
Just on that point … please be careful becoming roommates with your friend. Living together can destroy friendships. Make sure your “friend” boundaries are clear (as well as the “roommate” boundaries so well elucidated by mnemosyne above): are you expected to invite the other along whenever you go out? When you’re home, do you like to spend time alone or hanging out in the living room with whoever is around? How are you going to share food/booze expenses (if at all)? (Think about this … even if you don’t expect to share anything, it can be very difficult when you get home at midnight on a Tuesday and you haven’t been grocery shopping and your roommate’s cupboard is filled with delectables.) If her failure to do her dishes makes you want to strangle her, what will you do? This stuff is awkward but can definitely help save a friendship.
(I have had literally dozens of roommates and only 3 of them were my friends ahead of time. 2 of them still are.)
